


To The Ruined

by skyslotus



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: About to Confess, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Relationship, Spoilers for Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 07:37:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20870582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyslotus/pseuds/skyslotus
Summary: War is always unpredictable, much like love can be. When the ides of battle threaten to take what is beloved, emotions can claim even the strongest willed men.





	To The Ruined

Such thick smoke and haze allowed no concessions, no respite from the ire of battle. What troops of the Kingdom remained had taken refuge in order to regain strength and morale. The latter was surely an arduous endeavor, but it was necessary to face the path that lay ahead. All eyes were downturned and dulled, trying to cast away the vision of blood and carnage that would forever linger. The streets once full of life were becoming darker and darker, and the lands that once made home for many were reduced to smoldering rubble. Known to none, the question of whether it would return to its former glory was a commonality between all.

“Well, Felix? What do you say we shake this chill and get a little sparring in while we wait?” Sylvain called as he stretched his arms above his head. Even his voice, often so light and optimistic, was plagued with wariness.

Felix glanced in his direction with a glower most austere. “This isn’t the time for leisurely nonsense. Save your energy for the real battle, and don’t get distracted.”

Not in the slightest did Sylvain flinch at the cold edge of Felix’s voice. For Felix to turn down a spar, well, it was clearer than day the stress he was feeling. Rather than acknowledge it with a witty remark, he closed the gap between them, resting his hand upon Felix’s shoulder. “Alright, alright, don’t get your underwear in a knot. At the very least… can I save my energy here with you?”

Felix turned his head sharply, though a decipherable expression still eluded him. “I don’t see why not… you’re here already aren’t you?”

Laughter, low and veiled, escaped Sylvain’s lips as he seated himself on a crate behind Felix. He was silent, a contemplative shadow befalling hazel eyes. After a moment, however, he noticed Felix’s unchanged stance, and beckoned for him to join him. And so he did, yet no words were formed to indicate his acknowledgment. Much to Sylvain’s surprise, he was met with no protest when he leaned his head against his partner’s shoulder. Sometimes it was the simplest moments, in the direst situations that brought the two of them closer to each other: brought wrought in silence and reading the smallest nuances in their posture. Despite the many years of companionship they shared, no one stayed the same forever, but growing together made recognizing those changes all the easier.

The silence was comforting amidst the air of chaos that lingered like a miasma. Sylvain’s sturdiness against him eased Felix into a near state of stupor, amber eyes fluttering against the weight of fatigue. Stubborn as he was, he refused to yield to Sylvain, to forgo his composure and allow sentiment to rule his actions. And yet, his heart wanted nothing more. He rued these desires, how his otherwise unwavering focus always seemed to ripple in Sylvain’s presence. How contradictory it was, that this distaste was merely a veil against the truth of the contentment those feelings gave him. Sylvain was not a nuisance, but an anchor, a grounding point for a heart that always seemed to beat so turbulently.

“Hey… can you tell that thing to shut up... or something…?” Felix’s once-vacant gaze had fallen upon the spear that was housed in Sylvain’s saddlebag.

Since their arrival, Felix had noticed a faint, dull humming emanating from the relic of House Gautier. The eerie luminescence that it gave off was hard to look away from, like it hungered for all the despair of the soldiers around it.

“Huh? What thing? What are you talking about?” Sylvain asked, raising his head from Felix’s shoulder.

“That lance of yours.”

“Ah, so you can hear it too, huh? It’s getting kinda creepy… I swear it’s sentient.”

“Yes, I can. It’s very unsettling…” Felix lowered his eyes then, and turned his head slightly toward Sylvain. 

“Call me crazy but… I think it got louder since we got here. It’s almost like… it wants something. As if… taking my brother wasn’t enough for it. I may bear a crest, but Felix I… I’m scared that I’ll meet the same fate as Miklan if I continue to wield it.”

The sudden downturn in Sylvain’s voice was jarring, as if a shadow had suddenly crept out of the deepest corners of his soul. He expected to meet some reprimand from Felix, but it seemed even House Fraldarius’ heir was full of surprises. Instead, a hand raised to Sylvain’s shoulder, and he was granted the rarity of meeting a solemn gaze like dawn’s light.

“I won’t let that happen,” Felix interjected with a firm tone. “If I see you slip even a little bit, I’ll destroy that thing with my own hands. I don’t care what value it holds… your life is worth more than any relic.”

A resolve so absolute was woven into the undertones of Felix’s statement, a cold, steeled edge in his eyes to conceal that Sylvain’s fear was also his own. For a small moment, Sylvain was left breathless, staring with the same admiration he had regarded Felix with since they were young. A grin, albeit sheepish, soon lit up handsome features as Sylvain slung an arm around Felix’s shoulders.

“Whoa… that’s a bit intense, don’tcha think?” Sylvain chuckled, jostling Felix playfully. “I know I’m always in good hands with you around!”

Quiet befell them once more, another act of affection went without objection by Felix. It was a quiet that seemed starkly out of place, that surely would never last under the constant threat of attack. But for what it was, they enjoyed it while it was possible, for with the breeze could always come a happenstance that would change everything.

“Sylvain, I…” Felix’s voice, audible only to the pair, cut the silence. “There’s something I wanted to tell y -”

Like fate’s cruel intervention, the moment of solace they shared was cut short. A clamor of hooves and armor could be heard from the other end of the bridge, followed closely by urgent shouting.


End file.
